Premier League clubs once again dominated transfer spending in 2024 as Manchester United spent more on transfer fees than anyone but Paris Saint-Germain to sign the likes of Manuel Ugarte
Paris Saint-Germain were the only club in Europe to spend more money in the international transfer market last year than Manchester United.
While United may be struggling badly in the Premier League table, they came close to taking top spot when it came to splashing the cash on new players from abroad in 2024. According to the latest FIFA Global Transfer Report, the only club to outspend United when it came to doing business with foreign clubs over a 12-month period were French champions PSG.
And £50m French defender Leny Yoro was the second-most expensive signing when he moved to Old Trafford from Lille in the summer. Only Atletico Madrid’s £81.8m swoop on Manchester City for Argentine striker Julian Alvarez cost more.
United spent £214.5m bringing in Yoro, Manuel Ugarte, Matthijs De Ligt, Joshua Zirkzee and Noussair Mazraoui in the summer – only to then sack manager Erik ten Hag just nine games into the Premier League season. United are still languishing in 12th place under new boss Ruben Amorim.
The FIFA report proves that the Premier League continues to be the king of the international transfer market. A staggering £6.89m was spent in the men’s game in 2024, with English clubs sending £1.51bn in fees to other nations.
French clubs were the next biggest spenders, investing £797.88m on new recruits from abroad. Five more English clubs are in the table of the biggest 20 spenders, with Brighton fifth, Chelsea down to sixth after finishing top in 2023, Bournemouth in 13th, Nottingham Forest in 14th and Arsenal in 16th.
The Seagulls landed the likes of Georginio Rutter, while Chelsea brought in Joao Felix. Arsenal still lack a striker but secured deals for Mikel Merino and Riccardo Calafiori as they splashed £73.6m on the pair.
Yet international transfer investment has fallen from the previous high of £7.76bn in 2023. The report reveals that there was a record 22,779 transfers between clubs from different countries in 2024 in the men’s game.
PSG have also made an early impact in the first transfer window of 2025. The Parisian side made the £59m signing of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia from Napoli, which has seen Randall Kolo Muani move on loan to Juventus and Napoli linked to the likes of Alejandro Garnacho.
It also shows how the women’s football transfer market has become more lucrative, with a record £12.51m spent on international deals.
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